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KILLER COPY TACTICS FOR THE WEB
How to Turn Your Web Marketing Into Money In the Bank – Now
BY DAVID GARFINKEL www.overnightmarketing.com [email protected]
Copyright © 2000 by David Garfinkel and Overnight Marketing. All Rights Reserved.
No distribution or republication of this material in any form permitted
without written permission of the author.
What you are about to read is very direct and to-the-point. It’s unlike anything else that has ever
been published about marketing on the World Wide Web in that it is focused on one thing and one thing
only – the steps you need to take today to make sales now.
There are other resources that will tell you about how to build a community, get listed in search
engines, trade links with other Web sites, get subscribers to your ezine, and so on. All of those ideas can be
good. None of them will be addressed here. What this report is about is the actions that add profit to your
bottom line.
If that seems a little harsh, then I invite you to read one or two tactics at a time, and then take a
break. I’ll be the first to admit, this is strong stuff. But if you’re tired of not making the money you could
on the Web, you may want to read this all in one sitting, and then go over it again and again. It combines
years of direct marketing and copywriting experience with direct knowledge of how millions of dollars of
sales were made using the written word.
Now, the Web is an evolving medium, and some of the practices in this report are not yet widely
accepted on the Web. When they have been tried, they have worked. What’s important is, certain
principles and practices hold true consistently, regardless of where you use them. What worked direct mail
has worked over and over again in print advertising. As it has worked in radio and TV advertising. On the
Web, researchers are discovering, for example, that graphics without sales messages aren’t selling. Email
marketing works and banner headlines don’t work. Just as any experienced direct marketer would have
predicted.
Why? Because when it comes to making sales with the written word (or, for that matter, with the
spoken word), certain things have been found repeatedly to work, and certain other things have been found
repeatedly not to work. Most ad agencies and Web designers either don’t know what these things are, or for
incomprehensible reasons of their own, pretend they are ignorant.
This report explains what those things are, and how to apply them to the Web. How to minimize
your risk and cost, and maximize your profits. The report is divided into four sections:
1. EMAIL – not about ezines (which are covered in section 4), but about sales emails you send that
are directly soliciting business. Note: I wrote an email for a company using these principles (to
an opt-in list of people who had not previously bought from the company) and 12% of those
receiving the email responded. So please approach this hard-hitting information with an open
mind.
2. WEB SITES – this is not an encyclopedia on Web site design. However, it gives you specific,
useful detail on three proven, working models of Web sites that will add profits to your bottom
line.
3. KILLER COPY THAT CLOSES THE SALE – what you need to say and do to close sales on
the Web – and when not to close the sale on the Web (with information on what to do instead).
4. MINING LIFETIME CUSTOMER VALUE – how to cash in on the real profit in your
business: repeat sales to satisfied customers.
I wish you ultimate success with this information. I’ve helped other companies and individuals
make well over a million dollars extra with my marketing ideas and copy. Maybe you are next!
EMAIL
Killer Web Copy Tactic #1: In Your Email Messages, Write Killer Subject Lines
Many people are confused about subject lines. Questions come up, like:
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What’s the subject line supposed to do?
Does it build your brand?
Does it summarize your message?
Does it make people appreciate your cleverness and your way with words?
No.
When you’re writing killer copy, your subject line does one thing and one thing only:
It sets the tone for what’s inside the email message in such a way that the reader who is your
prospect has no choice but to open the message and read it.
Read the above sentence again carefully and think about it. If you are trying to get more business,
why would you want your subject line to do anything less … or anything else?
Now, maybe you’re thinking… what about building my brand? Well, there are a couple of cases
when you could use the subject line to build your brand. If the person reading the subject line knows you
personally, then it could be useful to put your name in the subject line. If they know your company – not if
they’ve once heard of your company, but if they really know your company – then it might make sense to
put your company name in the subject line.
Otherwise – forget it. And in any case, what you want to do is put words in the subject line that will
instantly get your prospects interested, or, even better, excited about what you’re going to say in the
message itself, and make sure your subject line will make them want to open the email!
There are three ways to do this in your subject line. Either…
1) Make a promise
Tell them what good things they’re going to get as a result of reading your email. For example:
Top-quality tires at half-off
You’re invited to our weekend conference
New strategy for affiliates to increase sales by 37%
2) Or… create curiosity in the reader that you can satisfy… either in the message, or on your Web
site, or later on with what they are going to buy from you
This type of subject line makes them wonder about something they’d like to know the answer to.
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Like to know how to get DSL for FREE?
Secrets of romance and happiness
A natural healing method used successfully for centuries
3) Or… offer a solution to their problem
If you use this kind of subject line, your statement must offer to solve a problem they’re already aware of.
(That is, something they were aware of before they read your email.) Some examples:
How to make your e-commerce much more profitable
Cell phone batteries that last twice as long
Keep up with your reading in half the time
The bottom line: The test of a good subject line is whether or not it works. And subject lines that
work are those that get people to open the email, and then read what you have to say. You want them
reading your message with interest and expectations of: a benefit, or new and exciting information, or the
solution to one of their problems. Cleverness, brand-building or “just stating the facts” may make you feel
good, but they won’t do much for your prospects. To get your email opened, use the ideas in this tactic.
Killer Web Copy Tactic #2: Write Killer Opening Sentences
Imagine you had a very hot prospect for a very large order of what you sell, and the key decisionmaker had flown from halfway around the world to meet with you. How would you start your presentation?
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Would you start by clearing your throat and checking your hair in the mirror?
Would you launch into a lengthy speech about your business?
Would you ramble on and on about nothing in particular?
… or, would you make the most dramatic, powerful, attention-getting statement you possibly
could about your product or service and how it would benefit this buyer and/or their
organization?
Sounds like a stupid question, right? It is… except for the fact that the way most people put their
copy together… is the written equivalent of clearing their throats, or going on and on about their business,
or rambling on about nothing in particular!
But people who use killer copy tactics always start with a powerful statement that locks in the
attention of their hottest prospects.
And that’s what you want to do with the opening sentence of your email.
So how do you do this?
Let’s take some of the subject lines from Killer Copy Tactic 1:
For example, let’s say you are an expert in teaching people how to design their own Web sites. Let’s
say you’re putting on a conference, and you’d like to invite people to attend. Your subject line is…
Subject: You’re invited to our weekend conference
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Then the personalized message (to a prospect or customer named Jill), might have the following opening
sentence after “Dear Jill,”:
Imagine that finally, you’ll be able to put up a new website… or make changes to your existing
website… just as easily as you can now answer the phone or open the refrigerator door.
Hey, that’s a killer opening sentence, isn’t it? Jill’s got to read further!
Let’s try another one:
Subject: A natural healing method used successfully for centuries
You could start the email, after “Dear Jill,” this way:
If you are tired of getting flu shots every year (and often getting the flu anyway!), then here’s some
great news about a natural method that has been working for centuries… long before flu shots were
ever invented!
The runny-nose crowd just has to keep on reading.
And let’s try one more. By now, you’re getting the hang of it, aren’t you? Good! Here we go.
Subject: Cell phone batteries that last twice as long
And the start of the email:
Have you ever been on an important call on your cell phone when you hear beep… beep… beep…
and then the line goes dead?
You can be sure anyone who’s ever been in that situation is nodding, saying to themselves, “Yes,
that’s happened one too many times! I wish I knew a way to stop it.”
And you go on to tell them about your way.
By now, maybe you’re starting to pick up a pattern.
If the purpose of the subject line is to get you to open the email and read the first sentence, then
could the purpose of the first sentence be to get you to read the second sentence?
Could it be that simple?
Before I answer, let me tell you a story.
I'll never forget a conversation I had with an attractive young woman I met one time at a bar. We
exchanged pleasantries and then, all of the sudden, she blurted out, “I work in the phone sex industry.”
Naturally, I didn't know what to say for a moment. After I regained my composure, I told her that
was interesting, and that I'd never met anyone before who had a job like that. Then I asked her if she could
tell me some inside secrets – you know, how it really works.
She looked me straight in the eye and said, “The whole trick is just to keep them on the line.”
Hmm. Are you wondering, how would that advice apply to killer copy in email messages? Or have
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you already figured it out?
Just in case you’re not sure, here it is: Same principle, different business! The whole trick to a killer
opening sentence is that it keeps ’em reading
Incidentally, you might be wondering, do I have any regrets about my conversation with the woman
in the bar? Yes, one. I was so surprised by what she said that I forgot to ask for her number!
Killer Web Copy Tactic #3: Pack Your Message Full of Benefit to Your Reader
This is a crucial step in the writing of a good response-generating email message. Let’s say you’ve
done everything right up to this point: You’ve written a killer subject line that gets your readers anxiously
awaiting what you have to say. Then, you’ve written a brilliant opening sentence that gets your reader
hungry for more.
Where do you go from here?
Right to the heart of your reader’s self-interest, if you’re interested in keeping your reader’s
attention.
This is where it’s so important to look at things from your reader’s – your prospect’s – point of view,
rather than from your own.
O.M. Scott, the lawn care magnate, reminded his employees that while his company may have sold
grass seed, what people bought from his company was a lawn. Remember, people are rarely buying what
you’re selling, at least at first. What they’re buying is the benefit of what you’re selling.
If you’re selling a conference on how to design Web pages quickly and easily, they’re not buying
education and knowledge from you. What they’re really buying, from their viewpoint, is the confidence and
satisfaction that comes from being able to design their own Web pages, and they’re buying the time savings
and cost savings that come with being masters of their own Web site.
Now, as a matter of fact, the way they get to those benefits of confidence and satisfaction is by
acquiring the education and knowledge that you’re selling in your conference. But remember, initially
they’re buying the benefits they’ll get from the conference. So start by telling them about the benefits.
Here’s something else that’s important: You may want to list every conceivable benefit they could
get from the attending the conference when you’re preparing to write copy. But for heaven’s sake, don’t
throw it all in the email!
For a couple of reasons.
First, all you need is to show them enough advantages to get them to the next step – which is
probably to look at your Web site, or to send you a reply asking for a phone call or an appointment. To get
them to the next step, you don’t need to give them every reason under the sun that what you’re offering
them is just what they want and need. Only enough to get them moving forward with expectancy.
Second, you need to save some of your benefits for the next step of your sales process! Don’t spill
the beans too early on!
One final thought about benefits: A number of years ago I learned an important lesson in sales that
grows in value for me year by year, faster than the Dow Jones Industrial Average (or the NASDAQ, for that
matter)! That lesson is as follows:
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People buy for their reasons, not for yours!
It’s simple but profound. Make sure you know the reasons your customers have bought in the past.
Or, if this is the first time you’re selling something like this (whatever it is that you’re currently selling),
find out how others have successfully sold similar things, or are successfully selling right now. It’s very
dangerous to try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to identifying and appealing to buyers’ motives. You
may get an “A” for creativity, but you run the risk of getting an “F” for profitability. Find out why your
customers buy what you sell and ask them to buy for their reasons.
Killer Web Copy Tactic #4: End Your Email with a Clear, Strong Call to Action
Do you believe the paranormal? Psychic phenomena? Mysterious forces that operate outside of
time and space?
A lot of intelligent people believe in the paranormal. And a lot of intelligent people don’t.
But no one with any measure of successful experience in business believes that customers can or will
read your mind, when it comes to taking action to do business with you. When the time comes, even the
most psychic of your customers will need to be told how to take action, and then they need to be invited – or
even politely directed – to do so.
What does that mean for you? It means that after you’ve spent all that time carefully crafting the
subject line, painstakingly writing and rewriting your opening sentence, and ever so carefully selecting the
fewest number of most powerful benefits to make your sales message irresistible you’re not going to wimp
out on me. No. I won’t let you. You can’t wimp out. You must follow through and end your message with
a clear, strong call to action.
Hey, please don’t take offense. It’s nothing personal about you. In fact, if anything, failing to ask
for action is so widespread that talking about it is downright impersonal. This weakness is pervasive, like
an epidemic.
I once read a study that said 62% of professional salespeople fail to ask for the order – in other
words, they don’t close. I mentioned this to a friend of mine who is the greatest expert on sales and sales
training I have ever met. A real pro’s pro. He told me, in all seriousness, that he thought 62% was too low
to be accurate.
Okay – so if most sales pro’s wimp out, what about you? Chances are good you’ll tend to be like
everyone else in this regard. But please, don’t hide in the comfortable crowd of the majority – you know,
the people who live from paycheck to paycheck, the people who retire at age 65 with $1.65 to their name.
Do yourself a favor. Set yourself apart by developing good success habits. The one habit you can develop
now is asking for action in your email message.
Here are a couple of ways to add “urgency power” to your written call to action:
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A Deadline. If you make an offer that expires after a certain date, that will compel people to take
action more quickly.
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Limited Quantities. If you’re offering a bonus, or a special price, or a hard-to-find, in-demand
item, let people know that they have to be among the first 100 to respond to qualify, or that your
offer is first come, first served.
Finally, spell out the action you want your reader to take. You’re probably not going to ask for
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money this early on unless you already have a relationship with the customer. The action you’ll usually ask
for is usually to take a step that will put them in front of your sales presentation – whether it’s on your Web
site, on the phone, or in person.
For example, if there’s a link you want them to click on, don’t worry about looking uncool by telling
them “Click on this link.” Tell them. If you want them to call an 800 number, it’s really OK to say, “You
can call us toll-free at 1-800- (and the number).” If you want them to reply, say, “Hit reply and ask us
for…” and then name it. Coy, clever and indirect wording simply doesn’t work in your call to action.
There’s actually a good psychological reason for this. People who are good prospects for you are usually
either
a) really busy (that’s how they earn the money to be able to afford what you’re selling) or
b) really emotional about your offer (that’s what makes them good prospects) or
c) both.
Think about it. When you’re really busy, or really emotional, or both… how hard do you want to
search for instructions to buy something?
If you’re having trouble coming up with the answer, here it is: “Not very hard.” Make it easy for
them to take action by making your instructions crystal clear, so simple to understand a reasonably
intelligent 8-year-old with a credit card could follow them.
And when you think about it, wouldn’t you want that 8-year-old (or, more likely, one of her parents)
to be among your growing hoards of customers? Of course you would. Provided, that is, what you are
selling would be appropriate for an 8-year-old to read about and of value to that her or her parents, or both.
The bottom line: Write your copy so it’s so easy to understand that you don’t leave anybody out. Be
an equal-opportunity e-businessperson. Give a great call to action that reaches out to everyone who could
possibly be interested in what you have to offer.
WEB SITES
Killer Web Copy Tactic #5: Keep Your Web Site Tightly Focused on Its Purpose
The World Wide Web has heralded an era of unprecedented creativity. Hundreds of thousands of
people have put up Web sites. Graphics, video, sound, Web cams, special effects – you name it. If it can be
imagined, sooner or later it will find its way on the Web.
We applaud creativity. It is the source of all new ideas and many wonderful innovations in our lives.
But let’s talk about money.
Will creativity on your Web site make you money?
Here’s an easy way to look at the question: translate it to a more familiar, everyday situation.
For example, let’s say you need a new carpet for your home. You go to the carpet store. Now, here
are two possible scenarios:
Scenario One: As you walk into the store, you think you’re in a time warp. There are strobes
flashing all around you. Weird music is playing. A few feet away, you see men and women in bodysuits
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doing cartwheels! One of them, an athletic looking guy in his mid-20s, cartwheels over to you and says,
“Very cool!” Then he just looks at you smugly and knowingly. What you’re thinking is, gosh, if I’m really
hip, I’ll know what he’s talking about. But… I don’t know what he’s talking about. Then you are distracted
by puffs of smoke in the distance and what appears to be a movie of flying carpets soaring high above the
Earth.
Scenario Two: You walk into the Happy Home Carpet Center. A pleasant young woman in business
attire walks up to you, smiles, and says, “Hi, my name’s Karen. I’m sure you’d like to look around. When
you have any questions about our carpets, just let me know and I’ll be glad to answer them for you.
Meanwhile, some of the specials are over in that corner. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
Then she walks away and you notice how well-organized the store is. In fact, the very kind of carpet you
were thinking of buying is on sale! You walk over there and start to run your fingers through it and
examine it more closely.
Two questions, and then we’ll get back to our original question.
Question Number 1: Which of the two carpet stores is more creative – the store in Scenario One, or
the store in Scenario Two?
Question Number 2: Which of the two carpet stores would you feel more comfortable in, and be
more likely to buy from?
Obviously, the store in Scenario Two is going to get your business. Why? Because it’s well
organized, it offers you some good deals, it’s set up in a businesslike way, and the communication from the
salesperson is clear, respectful and meant to be of service to you.
Okay, now, back to the World Wide Web. Most Web sites are like the first carpet store. All kinds
of special effects. Hip, smug attitude. Great graphics. Dazzling.
Worthless.
Worthless? Yup, because Web sites that sell are focused on… now make sure you’re sitting down
when you read this… those Web sites are focused on selling. Pretty amazing, huh?
If by now you’re not convinced by now that the standard for most Web sites works against making
sales for you, that’s OK. You get three more chances. And if after you read those you are still going to
exercise your birthright of expressing your creativity and you are going to insist that people buy from you
because your site is “creative,” well, hey – let me know how it works out. I’m always willing to learn new
things!
Meanwhile, you get three more chances you get to learn about Web sites that sell. Those will come
up in Killer Copy Tactics #6, #7 and #8. Here’s a preview. These tactics:
- Sales-Letter Web sites
- Brochure Web sites
- Customer Services Web sites.
Now let’s take a closer look at each type.
Killer Web Copy Tactic #6: Design Sales-Letter Web Sites to Close Business
Of all the Web sites on the Internet, only a small number are true Sales-Letter Web sites. Yet these
are the most profitable kind.
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What is a Sales-Letter Web site? It’s a site that looks, and reads, like a sales letter. The simple logic
of creating a site like this is astounding.
In the direct marketing industry – where businesses grow rapidly or disappear altogether almost
completely because of the quality of their copy – the “workhorse” of the industry is the sales letter. In the
bricks-and-mortar world, for 99% of the companies out there, sales letters make more money for direct
marketers than anything else. (Exceptions include infomercials and catalogues. They can make fortunes in
one fell swoop, but they are very expensive to produce. What is more, they are much riskier and harder to
make work than are sales letters.)
If the Internet did not exist and you had to make a ton of money in a hurry, your best bet would be a
sales letter.
But the Internet does exist. And most of the sites that are profitably initiating sales to new customers
are, in fact, Sales Letter Web sites.
Here are some excellent examples for you to check out:
www.killercopytactics.com
www.killertactics.com
www.hypnoticwriting.com
www.totalpersuasion.com
http://potentools.com/mind/products/PhotoReading/index.htm
By now you have probably asked yourself, “What about sites like amazon.com? They don’t look
like sales letters to me.”
Indeed they don’t. And while Amazon does make a lot of sales, it has never turned a profit, as of the
time of this writing. I don’t know about you, but I’m not in the position where I can put up a Web site that’s
not going to be profitable.
Sales-Letter Web sites are profitable. And they are most definitely affordable.
What copy goes into a Sales-Letter Web site? The same elements that would go into a sales letter.
The overall format is as follows:
1. Start with a headline that offers your prospect a tremendous benefit, usually expressed as a promise.
2. Use the body of the site to make a sales presentation in writing.
3. Conclude with a call to action that makes it easy to buy.
Of course, in your sales presentation in writing, you want to have proof that you can deliver on the
promise you are making in your headline. Proof comes in many forms, but the most important for you to
consider are: testimonials, success stories, and your guarantee.
For more information about how to put together a sales letter, consult Killer Copy Tactics, the first
Web site on the list. Or if you are already a student of Killer Copy Tactics, review sessions 3 and 4 for
detailed, in-depth information.
Killer Web Copy Tactic #7: Design Brochure Web Sites to Confirm in Your Customer’s Mind That
Your Business is the Only Real Choice
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Most Web sites are not Sales-Letter sites. The vast majority of what you will find are a lot like
Brochure Web sites, but with one important exception: Most of these sites are not focused on an end result
that will make the owner any money.
By now, you’re familiar with a few of the ways people can stray from the path of true and mighty
profit by being “creative,” especially when they don’t have a specific sales objective in mind. So let’s get
right to the heart of the matter: What is a Brochure Web site, and what does it need to do?
Answer: It’s like an electronic brochure. That is, it gives information, and perhaps it has pictures.
This site is not necessarily there to close the sale all by itself. In fact, it probably won’t. But, it has three
definite jobs to do within the larger sales process.
The first job is to enhance and solidify your positioning. In other words, it needs to build and
strengthen the big, unique promise of your brand. Example: If you are have a dry cleaning business and
your claim to fame is “We offer the fastest quality service in town!,” then your Brochure Web site needs to
have testimonials from customers gushing over with thanks about how you handled their cleaning needs so
promptly and so well.
You should also probably include a nice, well-lit picture of your super-fast quality equipment and
the kindly, skilled operator who handles the most delicate knits as well as the sturdiest overcoats; and
perhaps a story explaining in clear, simple, logical detail why you are in the unique position in your town to
offer the fastest quality service of any dry cleaner. All of those items will enhance and solidify your
positioning.
The second job of your Brochure Web site needs to do is answer questions and objections your
prospects and customers might have if they were talking to you in person. If you’ve been in business for
even a short time and you sell, you know what these questions and objections are. If you don’t know what
they are, ask your salespeople. Or if you’re the one who sells, keep a small notebook by the front counter or
the phone, or in your top desk drawer, or in your truck or briefcase.
Then, every time you finish a sales conversation with a customer, write down the questions that were
asked and the answers you gave that worked. The trick is to summarize these questions and answers in an
interesting way on your Web site. Doing so will go a long way in narrowing down the choices your
prospective customer is considering to only one choice: your business.
And the third job of your Brochure Web site is to move your prospect to the next step. That might
be to fill out an application, to call you, to request a telephone appointment, or to have someone from your
company come out to their home or place of business. Whatever it is, be sure to make it explicit and give
your reader easy, step-by-step instructions to follow to take the next step.
The site for my own copywriting services is a Brochure Web site. I don’t attract a lot of new
business because of the site, but that’s not necessary or even desirable, because I market in other ways that
are very effective and profitable in attracting new clients. The way my Web site comes in handy is when a
prospect calls me and asks for more information. Nine times out of 10, when a prospect looks at my site
after first talking to me, by the time they finish reading the copy and filling out my online questionnaire,
they’re ready to get started working with me.
To see how this works, check out my Brochure Web site: www.overnightmarketing.com
Brochure Web sites are great for service businesses and some retail businesses. Wholesale product
businesses can do very well with this kind of site. The key to making them successful is to understand the
three jobs they have to do, and make the site as clear, compelling, and easy to navigate as possible.
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Killer Web Copy Tactic #8: Use Customer Service Web Sites to save money on repetitive data
functions between you and your customers.
Best as I can tell, there’s only one other kind of Web site that makes money on its own for a business
– the Customer Service Web site.
These sites are the least sexy of all, because the way they make money is by the costs they save for
the business. Web sites like this are not right for every business. But if such a site is right for you, then pay
close attention.
Businesses that communicate tracking or step-by-step progress-report data to their customers can
save huge amounts of money with a site like this. In some cases, millions and even billions. Three major
shippers – FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service, and UPS – are among the most familiar examples of successful
uses of this concept. A customer with a tracking number can pinpoint the location of a package in transit
from these Web sites.
The reason for the cost savings is obvious. A computer can do certain things better, faster and
cheaper than even the most efficient human being. One such thing computers can do very quickly is extract
information from a database and report it to the individual requesting that information. That’s exactly what
occurs when you track a FedEx package en route – the computer dips into its database and rolls out a log of
the package’s step-by-step progress through the FedEx system for you to see. You find out where the
package was last spotted and if, in fact, it has already arrived at its designated destination.
You say your company is not as big as FedEx? Not to worry. You don’t have to be a giant
international mega-organization to have and use – and profit enormously from -- this kind of Web site. Far
from it. All you need to have is lots of parts going through lots of stages on the way to a completed
transaction for your customer. And customers who ask you, and expect to be told, where things stand at any
given moment.
You may be wondering why I included the above as a Killer Web Copy Tactic. I admit, in the
strictest sense, it doesn’t have a lot to do with copy. But in the larger sense it has everything to do with
Killer Copy – because the Customer Service Web site is a great way of using words (and numbers) to serve
your customers and enhance your profitability. Wrap your mind around this concept and see how it might
benefit the bottom line of your business.
Killer Web Copy Tactic #9: Use Your Web Site Graphics to Support the Purpose of the Copy – Not
the Other Way Around.
If you feel like we’ve been going against the conventional Web wisdom so far, fasten your seat belt
and hold on tight – because now we’re really going to go off in an unfamiliar direction.
The Web, of course, has become a graphics-intensive medium. If you want your site to get lots of
“hits” (traffic) and lots of “ooohs” and “ahs,” then you’ll be tempted to make it look as cool and beautiful as
possible.
The Killer Copy Tactician takes a dim view of that approach. Why? Because one of the tried-andtrue proven principles of direct marketing is that pretty doesn’t sell.
Example from the bricks-and-mortar world: My client Abacus Travel in Phoenix, Arizona had a
brochure so beautiful it could have hung in the New York Museum of Modern Art, as a stunning example of
excellence in graphic design. Yet when Abacus would mail out this classy brochure to its target market,
which consisted of fast-growing entrepreneurial businesses, the response was easy to measure, since the
response was zero.
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Abacus hired me to fix this problem. The first thing I did was advise Abacus to give prospects the
brochure after they had met face-to-face with Bonnie or Duane, the two most impressive people in the firm.
This beautiful brochure as a great piece of printed reassurance that Abacus was indeed a class act. But it
was a terrible door-opener, because it didn’t get any business by itself.
I wrote a three-page letter that got printed on cheap, ordinary bond paper and went out in regular No.
10 envelopes. It wasn’t very pretty. In fact, you could say it was “ugly.” But…
… the letter worked.
In fact, it worked so well that Bonnie and Duane could only mail 25 of these “ugly” letters at a time
– they couldn’t meet with the number of people who responded in a timely manner if they mailed any more
than 25.
The letter worked so well that several years later, Bonnie – who was a CPA by training and very
good at tracking numbers – told me that Abacus had gotten $5 million a year in recurring business, all from
my “ugly” letter.
My point? Not that you make sure you have an “ugly” Web site. Just that you don’t think that
beauty in your graphic design is going to solve any of your sales problems – or, for that matter, do you any
good by itself at all.
Here are the hard truths about graphics and copy:
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Graphics should, of course, be pleasant to look at. That’s especially true on the Web. But
graphics should not be so visually interesting as to distract from the main sales purpose of the
copy and the Web site as a whole. Quite to the contrary, the purpose of the graphics is to support
and enhance the sales purpose of the copy. Any graphic that calls undue attention to itself
distracts – and detracts – from the sales process.
-
The same general rule applies to copy. You don’t want “flashy” copy – clever, showy word use
that calls attention to itself at the expense of moving the sales process forward. The purpose of
your copy is to accomplish the sales objective of your site.
-
They key word of this tactic: “transparent.” Both your graphics and copy need to be transparent
so your sales message comes through loud and clear. Whether you’ve got a Sales Letter,
Brochure or Customer Service Web site, put your creative efforts into making everything about
your customers, and about solving your customers’ problems. They will appreciate it. And they
will let you know. How will they let you know? With their dollars.
KILLER COPY THAT CLOSES THE SALE
Killer Web Copy Tactic #10: Sell people information on the basis of how they’ll gain by having it, and
what they’ll lose by not having it.
Selling information on the Web represents one of the biggest money-making opportunities the world
has ever seen. This is especially true for the “little guy” – male or female – who doesn’t have the financial
and organizational resources of the great information sellers of the past: publishers, television networks,
universities, and others who profited from selling information in the pre-Internet days. The “little guy” can
make a fortune today selling information on the Internet.
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Courses like 1001 Killer Internet Marketing Tactics (http://www.killertactics.com) and books like
Dan Janal's Guide to Marketing on the Internet (available at bookstores like Borders and from online stores
like amazon.com) will tell you in precise and valuable detail how to get prospects to look at your sales
presentation on the Web. Since I know the authors of both of these works personally, I can assure you that
what they have to say is among the best information available today.
But what this tactic focuses on exclusively is how you get people reading your Web site copy so
convinced that they have no choice – in their own mind – except to buy your information.
Here’s something important to consider: When you are an information seller, it’s likely that you are
also a regular buyer and consumer of information. In other words, you love learning – for its own sake, as
well as what you know it can do for you when you put it into action.
That’s fine. But feeling that way about information and learning can also get in your way when
you’re writing copy. Why? Because you will be more than likely to assume that most of the people who
are going to buy the information you’re selling love learning about as much as you do.
And, I’m here to tell you that they don’t. You can believe me or you can go ahead and find this out
for yourself – but it will be much more cost-efficient for you to believe me, since I’ve already lost the
money that it took to emblazon this sad but true reality deep, deep upon my soul. What I learned is: For the
most part, unless they are educators themselves, most people buy information for what the information will
do for them.
A simple example: Let’s say you have spent the last 15 years learning an effortless, tasty and
enjoyable way for anyone in the world to
a) lose weight, and
b) keep it off.
By now, you’re pretty darned impressed with what you’ve learned, and you would like to let other
people in on how they can learn it to. You’ve probably forgotten your original motivation which led you to
learn this information: You were tired of not losing weight, or losing weight and gaining it all back. You
weren’t really that interested at first in all of the metabolic, genetic, environmental and non-caloric
influences on body fat. You just wanted an easy way to take it off and keep it off.
Unfortunately, over the last 15 years, you’ve become a weight-loss scholar. You’re on a first-name
basis with Jenny Craig, and you’re currently in negotiations with Weight Watchers for some licensing deals.
It’s your whole world – and learning is a big part of it.
Problem is, the vast majority of your potential customers are only interested in what you were
interested in 15 years ago – how to take it off and keep it off, quickly and easily. Remember that, and you’ll
make money when you sell your information. Forget that, and you’ll be paying “tuition” for some time to
come on the lesson you could have just learned in reading the last five paragraphs.
With that in mind, here are three ways to maximize the number of closed sales when you sell
information on the Web:
1. Tell the end user the benefits of having the information. A good way to find out is by asking people
who have already bought. Ask them both
- “What did you think you would get out of this information when you bought it?” and
- “What did you actually get out of this information when you bought it?”
When you have good information, people will often find beneficial uses you might never have expected.
For example, today I got a phone call from Sally, a public relations agency owner who bought my Killer
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Copy Tactics course. Initially she bought the course to write better sales letters. But she told me she
was thrilled how one of the three formulas for writing letters – the Problem/Solution formula – was
taking one of her most time-consuming practices and providing her with an amazing shortcut.
She said a press release she was writing for a client “was practically writing itself” because of the
template she learned about in the course.
That was a benefit I never anticipated. Although I have written many good press releases in the past, it’s
not something I do much of now, and not something I address directly in the course. But what Sally told
me is a valuable sales point for at least two markets who use press releases extensively: publicists, and
publishers.
2. Tell the end user all the things they’ll miss out on by not having the information. When selling,
inexperienced copywriters try to avoid negatives at all costs, and this is a mistake. People buy as much
or more by becoming aware of negatives they’d like to avoid as they do to get things that they want.
Don’t bring up negatives in the abstract. Let’s say you had written and were selling a Special Report on
making a killing by investing in Internet stocks. The abstract copy might read like this:
“If you don’t have our Special Report, you will never develop your capacity to spot
great investment opportunities when they come along. And if you can’t spot them, then
you won’t be able to take action on them, either. Don’t let that happen!”
That’s weak copy. Compare it to copy with specifics, like the following:
“In the next 18 months, more millionaires will be made in record time than ever before
in history. That’s because they’ll know how to spot the hot Internet stocks just before
they take their skyward climb towards doubling, tripling and even quadrupling in value
in six months or less.
“Without the information in this Special Report to help you immediately spot and
capitalize on the next “buy” opportunity that comes your way, you’ll stay in the same
place financially while savvy investors all around you will be getting very rich, very
fast! To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, get your Special Report today!”
See the difference?
3. Finally, provide proof for the claims that you make. People are naturally skeptical of any claims you
make. In fact, the more exciting your claims, the more skeptical your prospect will be. But there’s an
easy way to neutralize their skepticism: Give them irrefutable proof that your claims are true.
The best kind of proof comes in the form of specific success stories and relevant testimonials from users
of your information. One technique I particularly like is to use testimonials and success stories to
answer common objections. It’s a very effective way of calming prospects’ fears.
When you follow these three guidelines in writing your copy, you will greatly improve your sales
closing ratio.
We’re in a world today where more and more people will be willing to pay higher and higher prices
for specialized and truly useful information. To cash in on this trend, master the techniques in this tactic.
Doing so can literally put thousands – even millions – of extra dollars in your pocket.
Killer Web Copy Tactic #11: When what you sell is products, don’t count on the Web to get you a lot
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of sales unless what you sell is either at a rock-bottom price, or really unique.
Have you ever heard of anyone going on the Web to buy the highest-priced airline ticket they can
find? Or to see if they can pay a couple hundred dollars extra on a car?
Of course not. In fact, you’re probably thinking – there he goes again, leading me on some wild
goose chase. What’s his point?
It’s this – the Web is a great place to make a lot of money selling unique products. But if you have
something to sell that isn’t that unique, then you will save yourself a lot of disappointment by realizing that
for you, the Web is simply the world’s most cutthroat buyer’s market.
When I say “buyer’s market,” I mean there’s a downward pressure on prices, and the vendor with
the lowest price gets the sale! Because search engines and other tools allow people to do instant worldwide
comparison shopping, you’re at a disadvantage selling readily-available products unless you can sell them at
the lowest price around. (And in this case, “around” means “around the world!”)
Killer copy is about making money. Period. And the only sales you can close with any consistency
on the Web are sales of very unique products… or very cheap products. Since you want to make money, I
would suggest you limit your sales-closing efforts to unique products. The more unique, the better –
because the more unique they are, the more valuable they will appear to be in the eyes of your potential
customers. And thus, the more you can charge for them. And the higher your profit margins will be.
What if you don’t have unique products? Then my suggestion is to use your Web marketing efforts
to build your brand, and get people on the phone or into your store. Use the Brochure Web site philosophy
and approach. Highlight what’s great about what you do besides the products you carry and the price you
sell them for. Talk about customer service, generous return policy, or whatever it is that your customers in
the bricks-and-mortar world like about you. But you might keep your prices off the Web and invite people
into a more personal form of communication with you.
If you do have unique products and services, look at high-end print catalogues for examples of copy.
Herrington’s in Manchester, NH (800 903-2878) is a great example. Find others. Notice how well the copy
is written. (In the Herrington’s catalogue I’m looking at as I write this, there’s a beautiful picture of a
Movado Vizio Chronograph for $1,195 – that’s a watch, for all you fancy-timepiece wannabe’s – along with
a picture of a custom-built Ferrari and a story good enough to make the right person plunk down twelve
100-dollar bills for the tick-tock.)
Writing high-end catalogue copy is an art in itself, and beyond the scope of this report. But if you
sell high-end, unique merchandise and you have a ready and waiting market, the Web is a wonderful way to
expand your business. If you sell anything else in the realm of tangible products, let the Web perform a
support function and use personal relationships and in-store sales to bring you your profits.
Killer Web Copy Tactic #12: When you’re selling services, first give your prospects a “taste,” then
prove yourself, and finally entice them to move forward towards you.
Unless you sell a Web-based service, don’t use the Web to close sales for your service business.
Instead, use Killer Web Copy Tactic #7, and build a Brochure Web site.
While it’s true that you can sell your services simply from your Web site, it’s unlikely that most of
your prospects and customers will be comfortable if you ask them to buy directly from your site. Services
imply human contact, and the cyber-marketplace, wonderful as it is, lacks that personal touch. Prospects
and clients usually want to speak with you on the phone or see you before they sign on the dotted line.
Therefore, your Web site should get them so ready to talk to you that when they do, you can close the sale in
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a much shorter time than you would have without the Web site.
Here are some steps to take in your copy and graphics to get your customers all but ready to buy, by
the time they’re ready to talk to you:
First, give them a sample of what they’ll get from you. This is where creativity comes into play
and can help your sales process move along. I’ve seen high-end real estate shown with a 360-degree camera
on the Web – you get a “sample” of actually being in each room of the house! I know professional speakers
who have audio and video clips online, so potential clients can get a “sample” of their speaking services. If
you’re a graphic designer, architect or photographer, showcase your work in an online gallery. Sampling
and demonstration, when well done, are the most powerful forms of selling that exist.
The key to making this first step work is focusing your creativity in such a way that the Web site
visitor gets a direct simulation of doing business with you and/or reviewing your work. Again, creativity
that calls attention to itself works against the sale; creativity that is transparent, and working toward
providing the experience of sampling your services, moves the sale ahead.
Second, provide proof and reassurance that you indeed deliver what you say you do. Once again,
client testimonials and success stories go a long way towards convincing people that you walk your talk.
Some things to consider listing are: media reviews, memberships in organizations, number of years in
business, your client list, and awards and certifications you have received.
Finally, give them incentive to have a conversation with you. Guess what – if they’re totally
ready to buy after they’ve read your Web site, all they need is your phone number and a little nudge. But a
lot of people will need more information, or the experience of an in-person transaction, or something
intangible that only comes after they’ve had a chance to talk with you and get a “feel” for what your
business is like.
So offer them a free report, or a discount on an initial service, or a free service – perhaps an analysis
of their situation, or an initial consultation. That will get prospects calling you, which is a heck of a lot
better than cold-calling them, or, worse yet, experiencing no activity in your business at all!
The beauty of a Brochure Web site is that it can save you a lot of time and aggravation by getting a
prospect through the initial stages of “getting to know you.” Carefully follow the three steps in this tactic
and you’ll be getting a lot more business from your Web site very soon!
Killer Web Copy Tactic #13: Offer a guarantee to increase certainty in the mind of your buyers.
This, by itself, will increase your sales.
Guarantees are the lifeblood of the direct-marketing industry, and selling on the Web is nothing if
not direct marketing. Guarantees will especially increase your closing ratio with information and tangible
product sales.
It’s perfectly normal to experience a chilling wave of fear running through your body at the prospect
of guaranteeing what you sell. So go ahead and imagine the worst. Every customer will buy from you, and
on the last day of your guarantee period, every one of them will ask for their money back. As a result,
you’ll be homeless, and/or have to sweep streets as a second job, and/or you’ll have to declare bankruptcy,
and/or you’ll be moving to a foreign country just to stay one step ahead of the creditors.
Now, let me tell you about guarantees and reality. If you offer a good value for the price and you
make a promise in your copy that you then proceed to fulfill on – in your customer’s mind – then this will
never happen. I know of three cases in business where there were huge refund rates. In each case, the seller
was both greedy and lazy. The sellers overpromised at the outset and subsequently underdelivered with
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what they actually provided to their customers. These sellers tried to take advantage of their customers, and
the customers weren’t having any of that.
Guarantees are the great leveler. They keep you from getting away with highway robbery.
For every guarantee horror story, I personally know of dozens of success stories. And I’ve heard
second-hand of hundreds more.
Here’s how it works: Think of your guarantee as the conscience on the claims you make. If
customers by and large believe that you have more than delivered on the value you promised initially, you
will come out way ahead. If, on the other hand, you try to pull a fast one, a guarantee will come back to bite
you in the butt!
One of my friends has sold more than 2 million units of a particular product by mail-order. He
offers a lifetime guarantee. He can count on one hand the number of refunds he’s had to issue. The key to
his success? What he sells is of such incredible and unique value, most customers won’t part with what they
bought from him for all the tea in China.
Incidentally, he offers a lifetime guarantee on what he sells, which is information. Direct marketers
have found that on the whole, the longer the guarantee, the lower the refund rate.
Offering a guarantee on services is trickier as the services become higher-priced, because you can set
yourself up for huge financial liabilities. Remember the purpose of a guarantee: to ease customer worries by
reducing their risk. One smart way to use this concept without putting yourself too far out on a limb is to
offer the initial portion of a service at no cost. That way, you’ll ferret out problem customers before the big
bucks and the long time commitments kick in. The best advice I can give you in this regard: Don’t do
business long-term with problem customers! Simply stop the project before you get in too deep.
In your copy, make your guarantee as dramatic and explicit as possible. Before and after examples:
Before: “The Soothie-Lounger Massage Chair is fully guaranteed for one year. If you are not
satisfied for any reason, let us know and we will arrange for return shipping and refund your entire
purchase price.”
After: “The Soothie-Lounger Massage Chair is fully guaranteed for one year. Use it at the end of a
rough day to gently massage away your tensions. Turn watching TV into a relaxing stress-reduction
session. Take a nap in the Soothie-Lounger and wake up refreshed like never before.
“Try the Soothie-Lounger for a full year. If for any reason you are not fully satisfied, all you have to
do is give us a call toll-free and we'll take care of the rest for you. We'll even arrange for return
shipping as well as refund your entire purchase price. That's your no-hassle, unconditional one-year
money-back guarantee.”
See the difference? By dramatizing the guarantee, it becomes more memorable and more
compelling. That reassures your prospect to a greater degree, and results in more sales.
It’s possible you never considered using a guarantee as a closing technique, but it’s a powerful one.
It’s also a way to avoid angry customers, who can really harm your business. The occasional refund can
serve as a powerful tourniquet to prevent a lot of bad blood.
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MINING LIFETIME CUSTOMER VALUE
Killer Web Copy Tactic #14: After you make a sale, send an email note of reassurance and thanks. It
will pay many future dividends.
One of the best uses of the Web for marketing is to send a well-written email note after someone
purchases something from you. While this may seem obvious, there are a lot of opportunities people
overlook in this single message. It’s pretty easy to do once you know how. Here’s how to capitalize on
such a note to the fullest:
-
Express appreciation. Don’t merely confirm the sale! Say “thank you” and let your customers know
that you appreciate their business. In the hustle and bustle, the lightning-speed hurry of the Internet age,
common courtesy is easily one of the first things to go as we all battle to save a few minutes here and a
few minutes there. Set yourself apart by expressing appreciation. People notice, and remember.
-
Let the customer know what service is available. If you have customer service operators or tech support
included as part of the purchase, spell it out one more time. Remember, the old goblin of buyer’s
remorse did not become extinct in the Internet Age. People still wonder just after they made a purchase
if they made the right choice. By offering gentle reassurance in your note, you will calm their jitters and
reduce impulsive refund requests considerably.
-
Tell the customer you look forward to serving them in the future. You want to actively open the door
for future business – for that is where the profit is! You may never have thought about it before, but the
real money comes from the second, third, fourth and subsequent sales to customers. Why? Because
there’s far less cost in creating that sale than there was in creating the first one.
When you take into account all of the marketing and selling you needed to do to make that first sale, you
realize a lot of your profit was eaten up by acquiring the customer. Once the customer is yours, there’s no
more acquisition cost! But in order to turn a first-time customer into a repeat customer, your customer must
continue to have a good feeling about you and your business. On your end, that means handling complaints
when they arise in a satisfactory manner, and at the very least, making the customer feel appreciated and
secure about the initial purchase they just made.
Killer Web Copy Tactic #15: Use your ezine to get customers in front of sales presentations.
An ezine – an email newsletter – has many functions. A number of these functions are valuable and
valid in building and maintaining a business. Among them: building your brand, building a community,
keeping your customers aware of you, showcasing your expertise, spreading important information.
However, killer copy has only one purpose – to create sales. While there are other things in business
and life that are important, killer copy is only concerned with making a sale. So let’s look at ezines as they
apply to making sales.
To understand how killer copy fits in, think of your ezine as a TV show and the killer copy as your
commercials. Maybe your ezine is like “The Today Show.” Perhaps it’s more like “Politically Incorrect.”
Who knows – your ezine might be a Web version of what Howard Stern does on TV. Or, your ezine might
be like something you see on “The Discovery Channel,” or even “ZDTV.”
No matter. During the actual programming of the show, you’re dispensing information and
entertainment. Perhaps you’re creating dialogue with your readers. But during the “show” you’re not
focusing on the exchange of money for goods or services – and during the “commercials,” you’re seeking
sales.
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Note: I realize that a lot of the Web culture has more of a public television mindset, and ezines are
seen as sacred ground where no commercial messages may intrude. If that’s your belief and/or the nature of
your relationship with your readers, no problem. However, let’s put our cards on the table. If that’s the
case, then…
-
this tactic just doesn’t apply to you, and
-
you’d best plan on getting your revenue from someone other than your readers, since you’ve got an
unspoken contract with them that says
a. you provide them free content and
b. they don’t do business with you!
Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s talk about, if you have a commercial relationship with your
ezine readers, how you can use killer copy in your ezine.
First, you’ll be most successful when you realize that the greatest sales results generally don’t come
when you attempt to close the sale in the ezine. Most of the time, even commercial-friendly customers will
get annoyed if you have a long sales pitch inside what was packaged as entertainment and information.
Instead, what you want to do is have a short, enticing message that will lead the reader to get in front
of a sales presentation somewhere else. That could be: a sales-letter Web site, a phone call with you or one
of your staff, a live seminar, a Web seminar, a conference call, a mailed paper sales letter, or an in-person
meeting.
How do you put your ezine “commercial” together? The answer is simple. Use the same guidelines
from Killer Web Copy Tactics 1-4, but condense them down to a single paragraph or two. Rather than
using the four tactics to write an entire sales email message, use them to write four or five sentences. Here’s
how:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Use the rules for the subject line to write your title or first sentence in your commercial.
Use the rules for opening sentence to write your first or second sentence.
Use the rules for benefit to reader to write the following one or two sentences.
Use the rules for call to action to write your last sentence.
You might be thinking, “That’s a tremendous amount of work just to write one or two paragraphs!”
And you’d be right. But considering the payoff could be so huge, it’s well worth the effort.
Here’s an idea you can use if you’re still not comfortable including “commercials” in your regular
ezine. A client of mine, a sales trainer, has a weekly ezine he sends out that’s commercial-free. Every now
and then he sends out a “Special Edition,” where he goes into depth on a particular topic. There’s value in
these “Special Editions” above and beyond what appears in the weekly ezine.
But instead of charging money for the “Special Editions,” he inserts commercial notices. Readers
who would be offended by the presence of a commercial message understand the rules and can simply
delete anything that has “Special Edition” in the subject line. People who might be interested in buying
more from this sales trainer can read the “Special Edition,” cash in on the value of the content, and make up
their own minds about whether they want to follow up on the offer made in the brief commercial he
includes.
Killer Web Copy Tactic #16: Keep your customers buying by making them special offers.
Some of the kinder, gentler people in the world of sales have a saying: “You don’t close a sale… you
open a relationship.”
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It’s an unfortunate turn of phrase, because often the people who are most fond of these words are
people who have lots of friends but not enough sales! However, if you are beyond that problem, then
there’s some important wisdom for you in the saying.
It’s this: the real profit in business comes from repeat sales, because so often the greatest single cost
is acquiring a customer in the first place. Once you have a customer, it’s to your great financial advantage
to keep that customer.
Obvious enough. So, how do you do this – especially on the Web?
A great way is by making special offers. This is old hat to experienced retailers and seasoned direct
marketers. Translating it to the Web is simply a matter of using Web communication tools to present your
offer and take the order.
A special offer can take the form of:
-
Offering a new item at a substantial discount, where, if your initial margin is high enough, you
still make money
-
Offering a new item to your existing customers before you offer it to “the general public”
-
Offering an item at normal price, but with a free bonus only available to existing customers
-
Offering an item at normal price, but with an extended service contract
You can also make money with special offers to existing customers by selling them something at
break-even, or even below your cost. If you have enough other products or services to offer them at the
same time, a certain percentage of your customers will buy those items at regular price.
The reason it’s good business to make special offers is that customers who take you up on the offers
are forming a habit. Every time they buy from you, it becomes increasingly likely that they’ll buy again.
Simple example: When I was in college, I paid one phone bill and counted the seconds when I made
long distance calls. Today, I pay four phone bills and two monthly bills for Internet Service Providers every
month. And I don’t give any of those bills a second thought. It’s a habit.
What about you?
What about your customers?
Killer Web Copy Tactic #18: Reap huge profits from the special few customers by catering to their
needs with world-class precision.
We end our report with an advanced technique. I call it “The $2 Billion Technique” because I
learned about it from another master copywriter. He had become a millionaire many times over by writing
fundraising letters which brought in over $2 billion from donors.
He told me a secret I’ll never forget. Now, let me share it with you.
He told me that 50% of his donations came from the top 5% of his list. In other words, one of every
two dollars – over 1 billion dollars – came from one of every 20 people.
That’s important information. It means that if you can identify who your top customers are, the
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chances are better than good that they would be willing to spend more. A lot more. Just to make sure you
get this awesome possibility: The top five percent of your customers would be willing to spend as much as
the other 95% combined. If…
If you can discover exactly what they want, and offer it to them in an appealing way.
People with money will pay for flawless, personalized service. They will pay for convenience.
They will pay for savings in time. They are very discerning but they are willing to shell out the bucks when
there’s a commensurate return in what they consider valuable. Airlines know this; that’s why they have first
class and membership clubs at the airports. Car rental companies know this; that’s why they have special
clubs that allow members to bypass annoying and time-consuming check-in procedures.
It will be worth your while to get to know your best customers and find out what problems you can
agreeably solve for them. They will reward you handsomely. Find out from a sample of the few, and make
an offer to all of the biggest spenders in your customer group. And watch the profits roll on in!
David Garfinkel, the author of this report, is considered by many to be “the world’s greatest copywriting
coach” because of his unique ability to teach skills and instill expertise in others in at a very rapid pace.
A former award-winning business journalist and top professional copywriter, David is the author and
narrator of Killer Copy Tactics, the Web’s first and only online interactive multimedia course in writing
copy that makes money. This Special Report is also included with Week 6 of Killer Copy Tactics. You
may learn more about the course by visiting www.killercopytactics.com
Expert marketers and ordinary businesspeople alike have praised this course because it is so effective and
easy to use. Here are some of their comments:
“This course has had a profound effect on my mindset and my business. Monthly net profits have more than
tripled since I took the course. These days, I'm turning down business because I simply can't handle all the
volume! This is an extraordinary problem to have.”
- Jim Lowery, founder, J. Lowery & Associates, Novato, CA
“This course cuts through all of theory and nonsense about marketing with the written word, and provides a
treasure trove of powerful and profitable techniques you can use immediately to improve your marketing
results. Whether you're selling via e-commerce or snail mail, this is information you've simply got to have!”
- Dan Janal, author, "Dan Janal's Guide to Marketing on the Internet"
“Killer Copy Tactics taught me systematically, how to leverage the power of the written word, so that today
I can use sales letters to close sales – even on my days off. Thanks, David – my income is no longer
restricted by the number of calls I can make in a day.”
- Kevin Fayle, Rankin Sales Company, Inc., Syracuse, NY
“People who write good copy are rare, and almost none of them can show you how to do what they do.
David Garfinkel can. He's a gifted copywriter who can teach you how to write powerful, profitable copy on
your own.”
- Terri Lonier, Author, "Working Solo”
Killer Copy Tactics is a 12-week course, and is fully guaranteed. You can learn about it online at
www.killercopytactics.com.
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